In a tragic incident on January 12, 2024, 22-month-old Charlie Roberts was murdered by his caregiver, Christopher Stockton, who will serve a minimum of 25 years in prison.

On that fateful morning, Stockton was tasked with caring for Charlie but violently attacked him instead. Following the assault, Stockton falsely claimed to paramedics that Charlie had choked on a biscuit, a lie he continued to tell authorities.

Stockton's brutal shaking caused a fatal head injury, leading to Charlie's death a day later in the hospital.

Despite having concerns about Stockton’s behavior, Paula Roberts, Charlie's mother, 41, left him in Stockton's care. She had previously installed a spy camera over Charlie's crib due to her suspicions but still allowed Stockton to look after her vulnerable child.

Paula left the house for an eye test just minutes before the attack occurred. While denying a charge of child cruelty, she admitted to neglecting Charlie by failing to seek medical care for bruises he had sustained over several weeks from Stockton. She has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Detective Superintendent Chris Barker, who oversaw the investigation, remarked, “To install a spy camera, as Paula Roberts did, means there must have been concerns about him. If you have concerns about those caring for your children, you must act, speak out or ask for help. Charlie had everything to live for, but his life was cruelly cut short.”

During the court proceedings, Paula's defense noted her struggles with mental health. She was visibly emotional in court, hearing her attorney say, “She has to live with the knowledge that had she acted differently it would not have happened.”

After Stockton’s conviction, Charlie’s father, Barry Greenwell, expressed the family’s heartbreak: “Charlie was a much-loved son and grandson who has been taken away needlessly, leaving the whole family with a void that will never be filled. As a family, we are processing the recent events and trying to come to terms with the deeply disturbing verdict and information we have received.”